Sean Lee a favorite of strength trainer

Steve Saunders, founder and president of the Power Train Sports Institute in Lancaster, Pa. can’t say enough good things about Cowboys draft pick Sean Lee.

Saunders, who trains several Eagles, Ravens and Steelers, praised the Cowboys for “stealing a first-round pick” in Lee. Dallas got Lee in the second round with the 55th overall pick.

Lee spent the last couple of months working out with Saunders.

“He’s smart, he’s dedicated, he’s a solid citizen, he’s a student of the game and he absolutely loves playing football,” Saunders told me in a phone interview Sunday.

Scouts projected Lee as a first-rounder until he suffered two knee injuries.

A torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee forced him to sit out the 2008 season. In September, he sprained the ACL in his left knee, which resulted in a three-game absence.

Still, Lee overcame the injuries and the bulky brace he wore when he returned to finish the season with a career-best 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, seven pass break ups and an interception.

“I was 100 percent at the end of the season,” he said. “I took the brace off while I was working out and I will not wear it (in the NFL)”

Saunders said Lee was unique in that he never expressed any concerns about his draft status.

“He always said, ‘I don’t care where I get drafted. I just want to be healthy to play for someone on Sept. 1,’ ” Saunders said. “He never talked about getting ready for the combine, for his pro day, for the draft. A lot of kids wouldn’t have been like that. But all Sean cared about since day one was the team that drafted him. He wasn’t looking to take anyone’s money. It didn’t matter to him if he went in the first round, sixth round or whatever. He just wanted to be ready to perform. That’s what kind of kid he is.”

Despite his knee injuries, Lee has fantastic quickness.

“He’s a very explosive kid with good, natural pop,” Saunders said. “And he is just in the beginning stages of physically maturing, getting his man strength.”